British wildflowers

[johnralphcarpenter]

Not flowers but ferns, growing in oak woodland near Loch Lomond.

[François Lambert]

wild flowers in the garden, and in fact everywhere around now Ranunuculus ficaria is flowering.

[johnralphcarpenter]

Bluebells, bluebells, bluebells..... The pictures do not convey the full spectacle.

[johnralphcarpenter]

and more bluebells...

[ruweiss]

Ralph, thank you so much for your pictures.
The bluebells are simply great.

[jomowi]

A wonderful stand of Primula veris above the east portal of Britain's highest and longest canal tunnel at Standedge in Yourkshire.  Taken a week ago.

[johnralphcarpenter]

Drosera rotundifolia at Hothfield National Nature Reserve in Kent.

[Hoy]

Have you seen them in flower, Ralph? They're charming

[johnralphcarpenter]

No Trond, must look out for that.

A couple more from Hothfield National Nature Reserve: Ornithogalum umbellatum, I think, and Aquilegia vulgaris.

[ashley]

Are these garden escapees Ralph, rather than natives?

[johnralphcarpenter]

According to The Hamlyn Guide to Wild Flowers of Britain and Europe, Ornithogalum umbellatum is found in "grassy areas. Local in England, more so in Wales and Scotland. Prefers porous loamy soil and rich in nutrients in light or semi-shady locations."

Aquilegia vulgaris, Columbine, is found in "damp woodland, fens, wet meadows; native and naturalized; local and rare."

Whether the Hothfield plants are native, naturalized or garden escapees, I know not.

[ashley]

Very interesting.  It reminds me how islands further out in the Atlantic have progressively smaller floras.

[Hoy]

Is Ornithogalum umbellatum a synonym for O. angustifolium?

Ornithogalum is found naturalized in Norway too. I remember it as  a weed in light sandy soil and on rocky outcrops in my grandma's summer garden. I have some in my garden now. Both names have been used for the Norwegian plants. They are old garden plants at the south and southwest coast and probably ballast plants as well.

They're not yet in flower now so this is from another year.

[johnralphcarpenter]

I thought this was just a clump of grass in an utility area of the garden (where I store bags of compost etc.), until my wife spotted the flowers. Lathyrus sylvestris, I believe, possible var. angustifolia.

Not L. syvestris, but L. nissolia - see replies below.

[Matt T]

Hi Ralph, I'm not sure that your plant has the 'winged' stems of L. sylvestris? Could it be the grass vetchling, L. nissolia? The first time I saw this plant was in a meadow sward where it was difficult to identify the vegetative plants that the flowers were attached to, so grass-like are they.